Year 5 have been exploring how people of faith express themselves through the ways that different faith communities practice and worship their religious beliefs, the clothing that they wear and the festivals that they celebrate.

One of our learning concepts allowed the children to compare the Autumn festivals of Harvest celebrated within the Christian community to give thanks to God and the farmers for the food we are provided with during the harvesting of the crops; Diwali celebrated within the Hindu community which symbolises the beginning of the Hindu New Year and the Jewish festival of Rosh Hashana, which also symbolises the beginning of the Jewish New Year as well as a time for forgiveness.  We identified that whilst each celebration incorporates the sharing of food, the ways in which each faith community celebrates fosters a strong sense of belonging and connection for people of faith.

In HUB2, the children also learnt about the Jewish festival of Rosh Hashana and explored the symbolism of eating ‘Apples and Honey’ during this Jewish New Year celebration.  We found that ‘apples and honey’ is a traditional sweet treat eaten during Rosh Hashana in the hope for a sweet New Year ahead for those who belong to the Jewish community…We found this sweet treat rather YUMMY!